What Remains
by Raindagger60
Summary: Disclaimer: I do not claim to own RWBY or anything associated with it. When Team COAL returns from a mission the Battle of Beacon has already begun. When the dust settles their home is destroyed, friends are dead and injured, and Crimson has only one option. Go with Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR to follow a lead in Haven. But will they be ready for what they find there?
1. Prison Break

This isn't exactly how I expected this mission to go. "I swear to god the minute we get untied I'm kicking your ass Crimson." I rolled my eyes at the voice.

"Please inform me as to how this is my fault Orion." I swung my fists back and hit Orion's arm. "Now shut the hell up while I think about how to get out of here." I looked around at my surroundings.

"How about both of you just shut the hell up! Orion, Crimson didn't know how this would play out, get over it! Crimson, just focus on getting us out of here." Leave it to Lavender to make me feel like shit.

"Hey the chairs aren't tied together. Crimson if you can get a good enough boost, the impact on the wall should break the chair." _Amber you beautiful brainiac._ I hopped in a small circle, getting the chair situated with the back facing the nearest wall.

I heard the familiar whirl and click as the dust chamber settled into place. The decal on my jacket, pants, and shoes glowed green. "This might hurt a lot." The release and ignition of wind dust from my shoes launched me backwards. I connected with the wall and heard splintering. I collapsed to the floor. "I was right, god that one hurt." I groaned.

"Just untie us." I pulled the rest of the rope from my wrists and walked over to where my team was tied back-to-back. I undid their bonds. "Ok so where are our weapons?" Lavender looked over the room. "Because they certainly aren't here." I checked over the dust chamber to make sure I didn't damage it on impact.

"I say trial and error. It's only a matter of time before they figure out we broke free. Kick in as many doors as possible until we find them, do what we came here to do, then get the hell out. Our mission hasn't changed guys." I stretched my arms out, feeling my shoulders and back crack a little.

"Easy for you to say, you still have your weapon with you." Orion retorted. He wasn't wrong. My jacket, pants, and boots were all my weapons. I had a rotating dust chamber on my jacket that linked to one on the belt of my pants and the two smaller ones on my shoes. The decal on my clothes acted as a circuit that channeled the dust from the four different chambers. The dust can then be released through the ends of the jacket sleeves, the knees, the ends of the pant legs, and the bottoms of my shoes.

"Which is exactly why we need to move fast." I walked over to the door and pressed my ear to it. No sound from the other side. "Okay I can't hear anything, we should be good to go. Stay in the shadows and stay quiet." I cracked the door open and looked out into the hallway. "Let's move."

Yeah so the plan kinda went FUBAR. We were sent on a reconnaissance mission out in the wilderness where an unusual size of Grimm activity was recorded. We were to find the cause of the increase and put a stop to it. The increase as it turns out was due to a small fraction of the White Fang hiding out in the area. We discovered that they were trapping Grimm. We reported back in and were told to disrupt their actions and breakup their presence in the area. How hard could that be? For Team COAL a mission that would seem trivial went to shit faster than you could blink. That was how we ended up in our current predicament. We were captured and our weapons confiscated… except for mine (mainly because they didn't know my clothes are my weapon).

The hallway stretched on for a while and we hadn't yet seen another door or hallway. "You know if we run into any members of the White Fang you're gonna have to take care of them right?" Orion asked. We bickered and attacked each other constantly. But I knew that deep down we both cared deeply for each other.

"Yeah I know, but let's hope it doesn't happen until we find your weapons." We continued down the hallway for a while longer. "Ozpin's gonna be pissed at us when we get back." We didn't participate in the Vytal Tournament qualifiers and instead choose to go out on our current mission. "I wonder how the teams from Beacon are doing?" We came to a fork and took the left path.

"I'm sure they're doing fine. RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY have some great potential to go all the way to the finals." Amber stated. Every group had one and ours was Amber. She's a nice girl, smart, funny, cute, she's just a little socially awkward around others. Lavender is the mom of the group, if one of us is sick or hurt she nurses us back to health. She's great even if she is slightly overprotective of us. Orion, the wildcard of our team. He'll call me on my mistakes as soon as they happen. He gives me a lot of hell but I'd have it no other way.

I stopped walking and the rest of my team stopped right behind me. "Do you hear that?" The faint sound of machinery reached my ears. I looked back at the others and they nodded. "Ok we need to move carefully." We crouched down and kept at a slow pace until we got to a very large hangar like area. Cages of Grimm were being stacked and loaded onto large shipping vehicles or airships, while Members of the White Fang went about loading smaller boxes.

"Time to split up. Lavender and I will take the ground floor." I pointed off to the right where a ladder was leading up to a large catwalk and multiple different rooms. "Orion and Amber, you'll take the upper levels. Amber keep us all linked up, if either group finds our weapons we can meet up." They nodded and took off quickly. Amber has a pretty unique semblance. She can telepathically communicate with those she's close too, which probably explains why she's socially awkward.

"Lavender we need to look for a way to bring this operation to a halt. I'm open to any and all suggestions." She quickly surveyed the area and pointed to a White Fang member with a scroll in his hand. I looked closer and realized he was our captor from earlier. He was ordering some smaller members around as they carried boxes to an airship. "Good call, he brought us in here and he'll know where our weapons are too. How are we going to get to him though?"

"I'll let some of the Grimm out of the cages. They should cause a big enough distraction for you to get over to him." She motioned to some cages that weren't being loaded yet that had some Ursai and Beowolves in them. I grabbed her arm before she took off. "Be careful." She nodded before crawling into a vent.

I ran into cover behind some crates as White Fang members approached my current position. I peeked around the corner and made note of the time it took between them grabbing boxes and crates and them coming back for another. I had roughly twenty second intervals where I could travel from without being seen. _"Crimson, we found our weapons."_ I heard Orion's voice in my head. I felt something cold and hard press against the back of my head.

" _One second Orion."_ "Who the hell are you?" as he asked I heard the click and lock of my dust chamber and the decal glowed blue. I spun fast and struck his hand leaving a thick coating of ice on it. Before he could shout and alert the others I clapped my hands forcefully over his ears freezing his head. I popped the top on the nearest crate and set him inside before closing it back up. _"Ok we're good, Lavender and I are working on a plan to shut this down. Grab her weapon and just wait for the signal."_ I moved up to another stack of crates where I could see both Lavender's target and mine. _"What's the signal?"_ This time it was Amber's voice I heard. _"Oh you'll know."_

I watched Lavender crawl out of a vent on the backside of the cages and slowly approach the locks. One by one she swiftly grabbed and ripped the locks off of the cages. When the Grimm realized what had happened they busted out of their cages and roared. Lavender made a mad dash and slid into the vent before any of the Grimm could get to her. Most of the Grimm turned to the White Fang and charged at them. _"That's the signal,"_ I relayed to the others. The audible click and the familiar sensation as the decal glowed green brought a smile to my face. _"Let's finish the mission team."_


	2. An Un-Welcoming Home Party

The ignition of the wind dust from my shoes propelled me forward at great speeds as I ran at the White Fang member who captured us earlier. The now rampaging Grimm were causing a lot of damage and creating a great distraction for me and my team. I closed the gap between me and my target in an instant. I lowered my shoulder and slammed into him hard and fast. The force lifted him into the air and slammed him down on the ground. "Hey there guy, remember me?" He picked himself up off the ground and reached behind his back, pulling a large serrated blade from its sheath.

"You little punk. At least now when I kill you it won't be boring." He swung at me prompting a quick dodge as the blade carved its way into the concrete. I saw his hand tighten on the grip and the serrated edge of the blade spun, the teeth digging into the concrete and sending dust and grit into my face. Before I could react the blade dug its way out of the concrete and slashed upwards. I couldn't move fast enough and I felt the teeth of the blade tear into my left cheek and then the vision in my left eye was gone. I stumbled back in pain, feeling blood rush down my face. A few seconds later and a foot planted into my chest, knocking me back.

"Crimson!" Over the shouts of White Fang and roars of Grimm I heard Lavender's voice, the concern and shock prevalent. I knew she would try to make her way over to me to help. "Stay away, I can handle this!" I shouted without looking back. The click and locking of the dust chamber caused the orange glow in the decal to appear. I ran back into the fight, narrowly avoiding another slash from the blade and striking at my attacker with a punch to the ribs. The fire dust ignited causing every hit to be a small explosion of fire. I swung again landing a hit to his gut. A blow on the left side of my head disoriented me and when my vision refocused on the White Fang I saw blood coating his right hand… my blood coating his right hand.

"Should've let your little girlfriend come help you kid." He dug his blade into the ground again sending bits of concrete and gravel at me. I was prepared this time and the click and lock changed the orange glow to green. I swung my right arm in front of me, the wind dust preventing his trick from working a second time. As the blade came swinging through I kicked it, the wind sending the blade swinging back, unbalancing its wielder. Another click and lock and the glow changed to a light blue. I lashed out at his dominant hand, freezing it to his blade. A kick to the back of his knee and his leg was frozen in a locked position. A knee to the side and a good portion of his chest was covered in ice.

The click and lock sounded again and the glow was back to orange. "Who's the one who needs help now?" A blow to the jaw knocked him flat on his back and unconscious. "You took my eye, I'm taking your sword." I grabbed its sheath and broke the ice keeping his hand frozen to the blade. I strapped the sheath onto my belt and placed the blade where it belonged. I turned around and looked for my team. The Grimm had destroyed a number of the crates and were still terrorizing the White Fang. Some had gotten to the airships and were ripping them apart trying to free the other Grimm already onboard. I saw the rest of my team rushing over to me. "Hey, we're done here! Come on!" I ran to the closest open airship and got on, Lavender and the other's soon following. "Amber get to the controls and get us out of here! Now!" I sat down and Lavender immediately rushed to my side.

"Oh my god, Crimson! Orion get me my medical kit!" Whenever we went out on a mission Lavender made the point to pack and bring a medical kit. Orion rummaged through her backpack before pulling out a long white box. Lavender grabbed a cloth and placed it over my now useless left eye and grabbed a bottle of liquid. "This is gonna sting like hell so bear with me." I felt the cold liquid slide down my forehead before hitting the gash and making me inhale sharply at the pain. The cloth stopped it from getting in my eye. A few seconds later and the part of the gash below my eye burned when the chemical came in contact with it. She pulled a cotton swab out of the box next and soaked it in the chemical. She pulled the cloth away and dabbed the swab carefully and cautiously at my ruined eye. After she finished with that she soaked the cloth in the chemical and then wrung it out so it was barely wet. She placed it fully over the gash and started wrapping the left side of head in gauze to hold the cloth in place. The familiar click and lock of the dust chamber sounded and a light blue glow filled the decal. I placed my hand over the bump in the gauze and chilled the cloth underneath.

"Where the hell is my scroll?" I held my hand up and Orion tossed it to me. I tried calling back to the school but I couldn't get through. I placed it down and tried to standup but Lavender placed her hand on my chest and forced me back down. She looked me straight in the eye and I could see the pain and concern.

"Crimson we found something out when we were looking for our weapons. You're gonna want to know about it." I looked at Orion and he actually looked concerned. "We found out why they were capturing the Grimm. Apparently something bad is about to go down back home."

"I don't like this, I feel like it's not an accident I couldn't get through to anyone back at Beacon." I tried getting up again and when Lavender placed her hand on my chest I grabbed it. I looked at her and nodded. She let me get up but I steadied myself on her. The blood loss was starting to get to me. She helped me up to where Amber was. "How far are we from Beacon?" She pressed a few buttons on a console and looked at it.

"An hour, maybe two." I got into the back of the airship and laid down, using Lavender's backpack as a pillow. I unstrapped the sheath from my belt and tossed it to Orion. "Set my new weapon in the corner please." I closed my eye and tried to steady my breathing. I felt my head be lifted up and then gently placed back down. I opened my eye and looked up. Lavender's warm smile greeted me. I closed my eye and drifted off into sleep.

I dreamed of when Team COAL was newly formed. Lavender and I, and Orion and Amber took to each other right away. Classes came easy to some of us and we helped each other along the way. Orion and Amber complimented each other perfectly. While Amber was exceptional in the class room, Orion was better in the field. They balanced each other out and helped each other when they struggled. Lavender more or less kept me in check. While I could be as bullheaded as Orion, Lavender got on my case quite often about how I needed to keep up the appearance of a leader. I was enjoying my dream when shaking and Amber's voice brought me out of it. "Crimson you're going to want to see this."

Lavender and Orion helped me to my feet and walked me to Amber. The sight I saw made my blood boil. The school and city were in ruins. Grimm were running around wildly and the sky was full of Nevermore and Gryphons. A large dragon like figure was flying to the school and was dripping blobs of darkness that formed into Grimm as they hit the ground. The adrenaline chased away the dizziness as I rounded the corner and grabbed my new blade, strapping it to my belt. "School docks. Now!" I growled through gritted teeth.

A bunch of students were running to the docks when we came in for a landing. I could see them readying their weapons so I got in the back and hit the switch to open the bay door. "Guys I'm trusting you to keep these students safe." We touched down and I jumped out. "Injured and those who can't fight stay here." I noticed a pair in the distance coming closer. By the looks of it one was out cold. As they got closer I recognized the unmistakable blonde hair of Yang Xiao Long from Team RWBY and realized that her teammate Blake was carrying her. I ran over to help her get Yang to the docks and noticed that Yang had a fresh wound, to be more precise she was missing half her right arm. "Lavender! Treat her now!" I helped set Yang down. "Ok everyone willing to take pride in their school and fellow allies we've got work to do! There's still Grimm and probably a few students left too."

As some of the students prepared to head back into the warzone I felt a hand grab my arm. I turned and was face to face with Blake Belladona. "There's a dangerous man here at the school. He's dressed in all black, has red and black hair, and wears a Grimm mask. Don't fight him, he's too dangerous." I nodded and glanced down, noticing blood staining her clothes from a wound in her stomach. "Lavender, her too, she's wounded too; take care of them." I turned but before I could walk away I heard Lavender's voice. "Crimson, you can't get back in the fight yet."

I felt a firm grasp on my shoulder. "Take it easy Lavender, that's why I'm going with him. Orion gave me one of his crooked grins and I smiled. "Just because you're injured doesn't mean you're allowed to slow me down Crimson." I turned and gave Lavender my best 'Everything will be fine' smile. "I'll get him back alright Lavender."

I turned to the rest of the students who were still willing to fight. "No one goes off alone, stick together and search every last inch of campus to find everyone still here." I looked at Orion and a smile crept over his face.

"Just try not to lose your other eye. I won't feel real comfortable following a blind guy into battle. Growls and the sound of claws scraping on stone filled the air. Grimm had found us at the docks. "This will be interesting!" Orion laughed. He pulled his sword from his back and readied it in front of him. I unsheathed my prize and jumped into the horde of Grimm.


	3. You've Done Enough

My blade tore through the last Beowolf and it disintegrated into shadow. Now that the dock was all cleared we headed deeper into campus. Walls were broken and even though they weren't within eyesight you could hear the growls of the Grimm all around you. Orion and I took off to the interior of the school with a few others while the other half of the group went to the dorms to search for students. We made our way to the Grand Hall and split up checking individual classrooms and lecture halls for Grimm or other students.

As we entered a small room I heard a loud growl from my left and then was pinned down to the ground by a rather large Beowolf. I grabbed its neck to keep it from snapping at me but I couldn't wrestle it off. I heard the sound of Orion's weapon as it whipped through the air and sliced through the Beowolf's arm, allowing me to throw it off. A second later and its head was sliced clean off its body. I looked to Orion as the segments of his blade were retracting and fitting together to become a whole sword again. "I don't want to have to be saving you all the time now."

I jabbed the gauze wrap with my thumb, "Still not use to the blind spot yet." I looked around the room and saw someone peeking their head out from behind a desk. "Hey we're the good guys, you can come out. We'll get you somewhere safe." The girl came out from behind the desk as a loud roar echoed through the building followed by screams. I looked to Orion, "Get her to safety." He nodded and kneeled down so she could climb onto his back. I took off down the hallway trying to find the source of the sound. I heard more screaming and followed it to where three students were trying to fend off an Ursa.

The audible click and lock attracted the attention of the Ursa. The green glow radiated from my clothes and I pulled my sword from its sheath and it readied it. The Ursa charged me so I ran straight at it. I kicked off the ground and planted my foot into the Ursa's face, launching it backwards. It crashed through a few tables but got back up and roared. I ran forward and slashed at it, imbedding the blade deep in its skin. I pulled the trigger on the hilt and the teeth spun to life ripping the rest of the way through; the severed arm falling to the ground. With its good arm the Ursa knocked me away, sending me sprawling across the floor. Heavy footfalls thundered as the Ursa charged me. It swung at me and I kicked its paw, the wind dust offsetting the Ursa's balance. I got up and quickly plunged my blade deep into its chest. It stopped moving and fell, melting away. "You three come on we need to get somewhere safe."

I arrived back at the docks with the three students and collapsed from exhaustion, I still haven't recovered from the blood loss. I felt a light hand on my shoulder and looked up into the eyes of Dr. Oobleck. "Way to go mister Matthews. Professor Port and I will take it from here." I looked behind me and airships were arriving at the docks to pick up students. "The job's not done yet sir." I said, struggling to my feet. "Mister Matthews, your team has already informed us of the success of your mission and _your_ current condition. You've done enough, more than most people would in your condition. Thank you but please get on the ship." I sighed in defeat and slowly made my way to an open airship.

I passed the rest of my team and they joined me. "Get on the ship, there's nothing more we can do now." I kept walking calmly but the others stopped. "But what about-" I turned back to them. I could feel a tear running down my cheek. "I said get on the ship." I turned back around and continued walking. They followed and got on a ship with me. I took one last look at our home and knew that we might never get to return. The doors closed and the ship took off leaving Beacon behind… maybe forever.


	4. Days After

Everything was gone. The city was saved but the cost was tremendous. The dragon Grimm was frozen, if that's the right word, at the top of Beacon. From what I had heard Ozpin is missing, Pyrrha Nikos was dead, and no one outside of Vale actually knew what happened. In the chaos and aftermath of everything my team and I ended up on Patch. Communication was down everywhere so no one could contact home. We were holed up in a little inn on the island. I would spend most of my days in my room. I rarely left unless it was absolutely necessary. I had lost my home, I had nowhere else to go. What was left for me?

My team would periodically check on me, they knew it was hitting me hard. I told them I was fine but I knew they didn't believe me. I told them today I was going out but I just wanted to be alone. I grabbed my new eyepatch before I left. It was a nice shade of crimson and I had my symbol stitched into it, a black X with the symbols of the four main dust elements seated in the intersections. I headed to the diner in town to grab food, I hadn't eaten for a few days and was starting to feel it.

Orange leaves layered the roads and crunched under my feet as I stepped on them. I didn't have my jacket with me but still had the rest of my normal attire and my sword that I had named Reclaimer. I opened the door and stepped inside, the smell of food hitting me hard and making my stomach growl. I sat at an empty table and leaned Reclaimer up against it. A nice waitress came over to me. "Can I get you anything?"

I took a quick glance over the menu. "A sandwich and a shot of whiskey." She looked at me questioningly. "You look a little young to be drinking." I showed her my Beacon ID on my scroll. "Please just get me one shot, that's all I'm asking." She wrote my order down and went behind the counter. I saw her step into the kitchen and talk to someone, she motioned at me a few times. When she came back she poured me a single shot and brought it to the table. "Thanks, I'll just have a water after this." I picked it up and downed it. The taste was bitter but I could feel the warmth of it as it slid down my throat.

The door opened and I glanced over to see a figure draped in a red cloak walk in. The figure sat down at a table near me and removed their hood, revealing the face of Ruby Rose. Moments later the door opens again and a tall lanky blonde kid strolls in and sits at the same table as her. "Hey Jaune." So that's Jaune Arc is it? "Hi Ruby." Neither sounded very happy or cheerful in their greetings. The waitress brought out my sandwich and water and set it down in front of me. "I'm sorry to hear about your school." I nodded to the waitress and she went back behind the counter. Jaune and Ruby must've heard her comment because the glanced my way. They saw my sword and scroll and eyepatch and must've drawn their own conclusions. I nodded to them and they halfheartedly waved back. I knew that for them it must be hard. I took a bite from my sandwich and focused my hearing on Ruby and Jaune.

"How are Nora and Ren holding up?" I knew that they were talking about Pyrrha Nikos. While I never met any of the members of Team JNPR I knew their names. "You know, they're doing the best they can. How about Yang." A memory of an injured one armed girl flooded into my memory at the mention of her name. "She's changed, she hardly leaves her room and I'm pretty sure she doesn't talk to dad any more than she does me." A silence fell over their table. "My Uncle Qrow told me something before he left. He told me that the trail left by the ones who attacked Beacon led to Haven." I stopped chewing and set my sandwich down. This is the first I've heard about anything relating to those responsible for the ruin in Vale. I picked up my stuff and headed to their table.

"May I sit down?" Ruby moved over one seat allowing me to set my plate and glass down. "Thank you, I'm Crimson Matthews by the way." I took a bite of my sandwich. "Of Team COAL right? Your teammate Lavender is the one who helped Yang and Blake." I nodded affirming Ruby's guess. "So what are you doing on Patch?" I set my sandwich down and took a drink of my water. "I have nowhere else to go, my team and I are posted up in the inn on the other side of town. This is the first time I've actually been out since we got here."

I noticed Jaune and Ruby glancing at my eyepatch every now and then. "Yeah I lost my eye during a mission right before we got back to… Beacon. I'm sorry to hear about your teammate Jaune." I glanced down at my sandwich. "Thanks, there was nothing anyone could've done. She had her mind set on stopping Cinder." Jaune sounded so sure but also unsure at the same time.

We sat in silence for a few moments before I brought up what I came over here for. "So… Haven huh?" Ruby and Jaune looked at me. "I heard you talking and that's why I came over here. And I'm going to guess the only reason Ruby brought it up, is because she has a plan in mind." I looked to her and waited for a response.

"Yeah, I want to go to Haven. I want to know why these people attacked our school. I want to know why they did what they did. I want to stop them." I sipped some water. "But how do you plan on doing that?" I asked. She stopped. "I-I don't- I don't know." She looked down defeated. I cringed slightly, feeling bad. "Hey I'm not saying it's a bad idea. Without a plan though you're not gonna get very far."

I ate more of my sandwich, my words weighing on them. "I'm all for going after these people, they took my home from me and I know they've taken things you guys care about too. But before you jump headfirst into this you need to think it through. The people who did this will kill you without a second thought, you need to be willing to do whatever it takes to survive." I finished my sandwich and took my plate and glass up to the counter, dropping some cash next to it. "Keep the change." I stopped at the table before leaving. "I'll be here again tomorrow." I grabbed Reclaimer and left the diner.

I knocked on Lavender's door. "One second," I heard her voice from within, "can I help-" She stopped when she saw me. "Oh, hi Crimson." She smiled warmly. "Can I come in?" She stepped aside allowing me to enter her room. "I'm a little surprised to see you out of your room." I cringed slightly but smiled. "Yeah I know, sorry I've been so distant lately." I sat down on her bed, kicking my shoes off and setting Reclaimer against the nightstand. "It's fine, the rest of us have just been worried about you." Of course they have, their leader hasn't been out of his room in… what day is it?

"I've been worried about you too." I looked over at her, I knew what she meant. I smiled at her causing her to blush and smile back. "Yeah I know you have. I'm bad for you, you know that right?" She shook her head and smiled. "No you're not, you're just right. You're a great leader, good fighter, you have a few badass battle scars." She winked at me with the last comment. "Oh ha ha, this isn't really something to be proud of you know… regardless of if it looks good or not." I winked back at her. "I better head back to my room, I'm getting tired." I tried to get up and in an instant Lavender was in front of me, her hand on my chest. "No you're going to stay right here." A sly smile on her face. I smiled back, "Oh am I?" She pushed me back onto the bed. "Yeah, you are."


	5. A New Plan, a New Team

"Hey Crimson." Ruby pulled a chair out at the table I was sitting at and sat down. I was at the same table as yesterday with a sandwich and a glass of water. I wasn't really expecting her to show back up but I'm glad she did. "So Jaune isn't hear yet?" I shook my head and took a bite of my sandwich.

"You want anything Ruby?" She shook her head. "You sure? I'm buying." She shook her head again. I continued eating my sandwich. I glanced up at the clock, 2:30, Jaune should be showing up anytime now. "So, yesterday you said your uncle Qrow told you where the trail led. Is he _the_ Qrow, the famous scythe wielder?" At the mention of her uncle her eyes lit up.

"Yeah that's him. He's so cool. He was my teacher at signal, that's how I learned how to wield Crescent Rose. He's like the coolest guy ever." I listened to the stories she told me of his journeys and missions that he told her. "And then he says 'And then I was defeated, by the mere site of the waitress' skirt length' and Yang got all flustered it was so funny." I laughed lightly. By the sound of it most of his stories had a dirty twist to them. "But he told me some weird things before he left though. Something about how not all legends in Remnant are just legends, how some are based in fact. How people born with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior and how I'm supposed to be special." Her voice changed pitch and I knew it bothered her. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to do." The door opened and I looked over that way. Jaune and two others walked in; a girl with bright orange hair and a boy with long black hair and a single pink stripe in it.

They came over to our table and sat down, Jaune had to pull up an extra chair for himself. "Crimson, these are my teammates; Ren and Nora." I nodded to them and took a bite of my sandwich.

"Ooooooohhhh, that's a cool eyepatch. Where'd you get it?" Ren bonked Nora on the head. "You can't just ask people those things Nora." I laughed at the way they acted. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

"No it's fine, I don't mind. I got it once I got here to Patch. I put the insignia on myself though." I pulled Reclaimer from its sheath and set it on the table. "This is the weapon that took my eye too. So after I beat up the White Fang that did it I took this as payment." Ruby reached for it but stopped her hand inches from it. "It's fine, you can pick it up." Her eyes got all wide as she picked it up and looked it over. "Mind the trigger on the handle though."

She looked it over and handled it carefully. "I'm a bit of a weapon nut so I love seeing weapons that are new to me." I laugh and slide my jacket off, placing it on the table as well. She looked at it questioningly for a moment then noticed the dust chamber on it. "Oh wow, that's so cool. So you use a lot of dust when you fight?" I nodded and the others, including myself, laughed as she inspected my weapons. She handed them back to me. "Sorry, I forgot we had a reason for actually showing up."

I got up from the table and walked up to the counter. The waitress from yesterday approached me. "Can I help you?" I placed my payment for the food on the counter. "Keep the change." I smiled at her. I walked back over to the table and put on my jacket. "So, I'm assuming we are all on the same page then?" They nodded. "Well ok then, Ruby this was your idea. Let's hear it."

I leaned back in my chair and looked over at her. "Ok, so we know that uncle Qrow left us a clue that will take us to Haven. Crimson's right though, we can't just go unprepared. We need to be ready for what we'll find when we get there. There's a lot that we don't know, a lot that we can't prepare for. But there's one thing we can prepare for, and that's a fight. We're still students even if our school is gone. But we're all gonna be a team now. We need to train and get to know how to fight with one another. I don't know where my uncle is but I know that he told me that the trail led to Haven because he thinks we can do something. We're not ready yet, but by the time we get to Haven we will be. We're gonna find these people and put a stop to them." I glanced at the others and they were all staring at Ruby intently.

"Well after that rousing speech I think I'm on board." I leaned back in my chair waiting for the rest of them. "I'm going too, what they did to Pyrrha… I can't just sit around." Ren and Nora nodded in agreement. "We're all with you Ruby." I smiled at the proud look she had on her face.

"We can't leave now though. I need to spend some time at home for a while… just in case Yang needs me. I want to spend some time with my dad too." I nodded. "Yeah I better spend some time with my team too. They're not gonna like it when I disappear into thin air." I finished my water and set my glass down. "Let me know when we're gonna leave. You know where to find me." I strapped Reclaimer to my waist and waved as I walked out the door. "See you guys later."

The air was getting colder, signaling the approach of winter. The crunching of leaves under my shoes was a calming sound that eased my mind as I walked back to the inn. That was one thing I had to keep from my team. They'd try to stop me if they knew what I was planning to do. I knew it'd hurt them but they're strong, they can get along fine without me. Orion can step up to the plate to be leader. Lavender can take it, she's strong, and she won't let her partner leaving keep her down. Amber will be upset, hell they all will be. I can't let them get dragged in with me though. They have homes to get back to. Where we're going we might not even come back. I'm ready for that though. These people can't go unpunished. They'll get what's coming to them. We'll stop them no matter what.

"Hey Crimson, where you headed?" At the sound of Orion's voice I snapped out of my train of thought and looked up. Orion, Lavender, and Amber had coats on and looked like they were headed into town. "I'm just headed back to the inn. Gonna take a nap for a bit." Lavender looked at me questioningly. "Well we're headed into town, gonna go to a few stores, maybe catch a movie later in the day."

Wind blew down the road rustling the leaves on the ground and in the trees. "I'll set an alarm and meet you guys at the movies later. Sound good?" I handed Orion some money. "Pick me up some dust too. I'm running a little low." He pocketed the money. "No problem, you better not be late to the movie though." I laughed. "Am I ever late to anything?" Orion shook his head while Amber and Lavender chuckled. "Yeah all the time."


	6. Orion vs Lavender

A loud and sharp beeping woke me from my nap. I grabbed my scroll and turned the alarm off. I rolled into a sitting position at the end of the bed and put my shoes on. I looked in the mirror and cringed at what I saw. My hair was a mess. I grabbed my comb and straightened that problem out. I grabbed my jacket off of the closet door and my headphones before leaving. I left Reclaimer leaning against the wall and locked the room up. It had gotten a little colder since I was last outside and I put my jacket on while starting up one of my playlists to listen to.

I walked along the road singing to myself quietly with the music. "There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered. Where the wolves and the soul-less will rise. In the time of our final moments, every dream dies." I looked up from the road and saw another figure walking my way. He had spiked back graying black hair, black pants, a collared gray dress shirt, and a tattered red cape. I nodded to him as we passed each other and kept walking to town. The stores were still pretty busy for being the slow part of the afternoon. I saw a dust shop and remembered that I had asked Orion to pick me up some refills. In some aspects I preferred Patch to Vale. The close knit communities where everyone probably knows everyone. I like that a little more than the hustle and bustle of the city but hey, what are you gonna do?

When I got to the theater, Orion, Lavender, and Amber were in line waiting to get tickets. "Told you I wouldn't be late." I got in line right behind Amber. "So what movie are we seeing?" I reached into my back pocket and pulled my wallet out as we approached the ticket booth. "We wanted to see the new Spruce Willis movie. We never got to during school." Lavender informed me. I pulled my card out of my wallet and slid it to the ticket handler.

"Four for the Spruce Willis movie please." My card was swiped and handed back to me along with four tickets. We walked up to the concession stand and looked over the menu. "How about four of your largest drinks and four extra-large popcorns with… you guys want butter and cheese salt with those?" I looked back at my team and they nodded. "Yeah all four with butter and cheese salt." The man behind the counter handed us four tall paper cups and four incredibly large buckets of popcorn. I walked over to the fountain drinks and filled my cup to the brim with a vanilla flavored soft drink. We herded ourselves into the theater and grabbed four open seats right in a row. A few minutes later the lights dimmed and the movie started.

"This movie is gonna kick ass." "Hey shut up Orion." "You shut up Lavender." "I swear I will take both of you out into the lobby if you don't quiet down." … Thank god they finally stopped tal- "Shut up Crimson." I reached over and bonked Amber lightly on the head while Lavender and Orion chuckled. "Seriously though guys." I whispered to them.

About two and a half hours later we walked out of the theater. "That was such a good movie. And that Spruce Willis though, mhm mhm." Amber blushed and nodded in agreement with Lavender. "Why are you gushing over Spruce Willis? Crimson is right there." I heard three things; Orion's laugh, a loud thump, and then Orion again. "Owwwww what the hell did you do that for!?" I turned around and Orion was grabbing his head, Lavender had her hand balled into a fist, and Amber was trying to suppress a laugh. "You know very well what that was for." I laughed and walked over, putting myself between both of them. "Hey if you want to beat the crap out of each other do it at the gym in the sparring ring." They both looked at each other and grinned. "God d-, no, no, no. We are not doing this." They looked back at me and each grabbed one of my arms. "Oh yeah we are." Orion said.

"I can't believe you're really gonna do this." We found a gym on the side of town and, lucky us, it had a sparring arena. Orion and Lavender were positioned at opposite sides of the arena. Orion had his hand on his sword and Lavender was holding her tonfa blades defensively. She had two ammo belts strapped across her chest and was dressed in her mission gear. "No live ammo, first person to have their aura hit the red loses. And for the love of god do not kill each other." Both of them nodded, waiting for my signal. "Begin!"

Lavender took off sprinting and struck at Orion with her left hand. In a flash he pulled his sword from its sheath and blocked the blow. Lavender followed up with a right which Orion easily blocked again. She gripped the handle of her tonfa and loud crack reverberated through the arena. Orion was pushed back from the force of the shot. Lavender slapped the right tonfa on one of the ammo belts, reloading a stun cartridge. Orion rushed forward, coming down hard with his sword. Lavender brought up both tonfa in defense absorbing a lot of the shock but not enough to keep her steady as she drops to one knee. She pushed up, creating enough of a gap to breakaway from Orion. With a flick of his wrist, the sword segmented and shifted to its bladed whip form. Lavender clashed her tonfa blades together and the edges started sparking with electricity. Orion smiled. "Looks like we're getting serious now."

"Yeah we are." They both charged each other. Orion's weapon gave him the advantage in ranged combat due to the distance the whip mode of his sword allowed him but Lavender clearly had the advantage close up. The segments whistled through the air as Orion swung his blade skillfully. He didn't give Lavender the chance to get in close and you could tell she was getting frustrated. She lashed out in a controlled aggression trying to offset Orion's motions by knocking the segments away into random directions. It worked for a moment, leaving a big enough gap for Lavender to get in close. I watched Orion press the switch on the hilt and the segments rapidly retracted, reforming the blade just in time to block Lavender's strike.

"You're not fast enough Lavender." She gritted her teeth and started pushing forward. "I don't need to be faster, I just need to be better." She broke away and in an instant was behind Orion, aiming a kick at his side. It connected with his ribs and sent him sliding across the ground. Before he could fully recover she was putting the pressure back on, delivering a rain of blows that he was struggling to keep up with. He swung in a long arc, forcing Lavender to back off. I watched as Orion twisted the hilt of his blade and it started to collapse into a form I've never seen. Lavender was just as surprised as stopped in pace. Orion's blade split down the middle, the two halves folding in on themselves. The handle joined the halves of the blade together and the gear filled changing mechanism slid into place just above the handle. The gears spun rapidly creating a cord of energy that connected the two ends and bent them back finalizing the new form; a bow and arrow. As she realized what was happening, Lavender charged forward determined to finish the match. He grabbed the middle of the cord and pulled back, an arrow forming. Orion leveled the bow at Lavender just as she pressed both tonfa ends into Orion's chest. "So… it seems that neither of us will win this one." Lavender nodded and gripped both tonfa tightly, firing two stun rounds into Orion. The shock of being hit but the stun rounds caused him to release the cord and the energy stored in it, which was the rough equivalent of a gunshot, against Lavender.

Both Lavender and Orion were launched backwards. I checked their aura levels and they both slid down into the red zone simultaneously. I walked over to Lavender and helped her up with Amber helped Orion to his feet. "Well you either both win or you both lose. Your auras hit red simultaneously." I turned to Orion. "Since when can your sword do that?" He grabbed the handle of the bow and twisted it causing it to start shifting and unfolding back into its sword form.

"Pretty recently. I started tinkering with the idea a couple months ago. I had to replace the main blade with a newer one that could split both into whip and bow forms. I also redesigned the changing mechanism so that way it could put off enough energy to create and hold the form of the cord. Pulling back on the cord stores energy and shapes it into an arrow, and when released… well you've seen a bow and arrow before." I was thoroughly impressed by the ingenuity Orion put into his weapon. I grabbed both of them a water.

"I want to spar too." I looked at Amber. "Sorry Amber I don't think either of them are up for another match." They laughed and cringed slightly, clearly sore from the last collision. "No, I want to spar against you, Crimson." I looked at her and smiled. "Trying to challenge me for dominance?" She laughed. "No, I'm testing you."I caught myself from smirking. "Ok," I told her, "you're on."


	7. Crimson vs Amber

I stretched and got ready to jump into the arena. "Wait, where's Reclaimer? If we're going to spar you're going to give it everything." I sighed, I left Reclaimer back at the inn and I really didn't feel like going back for it right now.

"I left it at the inn. I didn't really think this was gonna be happening." Amber stood with her arms crossed, her foot tapping the floor. "I'm not going back for it." More tapping. "Not gonna happen." Even more tapping. I stared her down my eyes narrowing. "Ugh, fine. I'll be back in a few minutes." I left the gym and started making my way back to the inn. The lights on the posts were starting to come on as the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. I could see the sign for the inn off in the distance, the neon green shining brightly. The leaves rustled lightly and I could hear birds chirping.

When I got to the inn I made a beeline for my room. When I got to the room, I noticed the door was cracked slightly. _I thought I closed and locked the door?_ I pushed it open slowly and looked in. There was a man standing on the other side of the room; staring out the window into the woods. "Can I help you?" He turned around and I noticed it was the man I passed on the road earlier.

"I don't know can you?" He took a drink from a flask and stared at me. "I just came to inspect kid." I glanced over and saw Reclaimer right where I left it. "Don't even think about it, I'm not here to fight. But if I have to I will, and I'll win." He took another drink. I glanced over at Reclaimer again, judging how fast I could get to it. "You certainly look tough, I'll give you that. Looks aren't everything though." He started walking towards me. I didn't react as he passed me and headed to the door. "I've seen what I needed to see. Watch your back out there kid." I stood in the room for a few silent moments. I shook it off and grabbed Reclaimer, ready to head back to the gym. _Who the hell is that guy?_ I thought to myself.

"That took you long enough." The very first words I hear when I walk back into the gym. I used my favorite finger to gesture over at Orion while I jumped into the arena and started stretching. I felt my muscles loosen and a few joints pop and crack as I prepared for my little sparring match.

"Orion, you picked up those dust refills right?" He nodded and tossed me a few cylindrical containers. One by one I plugged the cylinders into the dust chambers, their contents draining into the proper channels. I cycled through each one, checking the amount of glow the decals gave off. Amber jumped into the arena opposite me and started preparing as well, her buckler strapped to her left arm.

"Are you ready Crimson?" I looked up and nodded at Amber. "On your mark Orion." He got his scroll out and linked it to the rest of ours so he could read our aura levels. "Yeah so essentially what Crimson said earlier, don't kill each other." We both nodded. "Begin."

Amber started off by flinging her buckler through the air at me. I blocked and knocked it into the air with Reclaimer but it sped right back towards Amber, locking itself back onto her arm. "Come on Crimson you know that won't work. The buckler always comes back to its base." She lobbed it again, adding a lot more spin to it as it curved through the air. I blocked it again and sent it spinning upwards. I charged Amber hoping to get there before the buckler came back. I closed the gap relatively quick and swung with Reclaimer. She spun, easily avoiding my swing and I heard the buckler reattach before being hit on the side of the head with it. I stumbled back a few steps but regained my balance and swung again. She blocked with the buckler and pushed off before slamming it into my chest. I knew that at this rate I'd drop below the red before I could even hit her. I jumped back, putting distance between us.

I jammed Reclaimer into its sheath as the click and lock sounded. A bright orange glow took over signaling my fire dust. I punched out at the air sending small blasts of fire towards Amber. I kicked the heels of my shoes together triggering a cycle of the dust chambers just in my shoes. They glowed blue and ice started forming under my feet. I ran a few steps before letting my feet slid across the floor creating ice paths as I went. I skated around the arena floor blasting fire at Amber, trying to create an opening. She didn't relent as she blocked and dodged the fire and kept throwing the buckler at me. I changed paths and charged Amber, still lobbing fire at her. As I got in close she started swinging the buckler but the ice made me just fast enough to avoid her attacks. I swung my leg out, catching both of hers and tripping her up. She fell to the ground with a thud. I jumped up and aimed both feet for her chest as I came back down. She brought up the buckler in defense and I landed on it instead. I kicked off hard, the buckler being flash frozen by the ice dust. I kicked my heels together, cycling them back to the main circuit.

Amber stood but wobbled as she found herself on thick patches of ice with a heavy ice coated buckler on her arm. I pulled Reclaimer back out, leaving the dust active. I walked towards Amber as she tried to keep her balance on the ice. I got to the very edge of the ice patch and slammed my foot down, the fire dust igniting and melting the ice in a cloud of thick steam. I ran into it and swung at the outline of Amber. I heard the sound of metal on ice and gripped the trigger, the serrated edge coming to life and tearing through the ice. I was pushed back but turned it into a spin bring my leg up and connecting with the buckler, the ignition of the fire dust burning some of the steam away and knocking Amber back. When I spun back around I was hit in the chest by the buckler, the ice now completely gone, and fell down. I stood back up as Amber pulled the buckler in half, the two sides reshaping into two separate sawn off shotguns. She popped them and loaded two cartridges of differing colors.

I sheathed Reclaimer and ran back in. I swung out, leaving trails of fire behind my fists as I tried to knock Amber back. She avoided most of them and blocked a few with her guns. I swung at her shoulder with my right hand and she side stepped, sliding right past my punch. In a flash she brought her right hand up and planted the barrel in my chest and pulled the trigger. A large shock hit my chest and before I even knew what happened a good portion of my body was solid. I looked in amazement as Amber winked at me. "Got you." She brought the left one up and pulled its trigger, a warm sensation washing over me as I realized it was a shell filled with fire dust. The blast put me on my back and the light shimmering over my body telling me my aura gave out. I laid on my back in amazement, I had just lost to Amber.

"Looks like Amber is the winner." I heard Orion's voice as I rolled into a sitting position. Amber walked over and helped me to my feet. She smiled and whispered quietly, "You're not ready for Haven yet." I stared in shock before recomposing myself as Orion and Lavender came over. "Damn Crimson, how the hell did you lose that one?" I smiled.

"I underestimated her. Look where that got me, flat on my ass." I laughed and shrugged it off. Orion clapped Amber on the back, noting his approval. "I think we've had enough excitement for one night let's head back for now." The three nodded in agreement and we left the gym.

I was lying on the bed staring at the television screen when I heard a knock at my door. "Yo." I called out. The door opened and Amber stepped in closing the door behind her. "I was wondering if I'd have to come talk to you or you would come to me." I said as I got into a sitting position. "So how'd you figure it out?"

She tapped the side of her head. "My semblance can do more than just allow us to communicate through our minds. I can hear the thoughts that are bothering you, along with those of Orion and Lavender." She leaned up against the wall. "It's going to kill the others when you leave."

I nodded. "I need to do this Amber." I stood up and grabbed an energy drink from the mini-fridge. "You know what Beacon meant to me and you know that I need to go." I looked over at her and she nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I know that nothing I can say will stop you from going. But I still wanted to try anyway. I'm not going to tell the others. They'll figure it out. Haven is different from Vale though." I looked over at her. She had a calm but serious look on her face. I popped the tab on my drink and took a sip.

"That's why I'm not going alone. I can't promise you that I'll be safe. I can't promise I'll come back. I can't even promise that I'll do what I'm leaving to go do. But I'm going regardless. If there's even a chance, I'm taking it." I looked over at Amber.

She stared back in silence before sighing. "I know Crimson. I'm hoping you'll make it back because we're still Team COAL and we always will be." She turned and headed for the door. "Just make sure you do everything you can to make it back to us." I nodded and she smiled before leaving the room.


	8. Time to Say Goodbye

I woke up and looked out the window. There was a nice layer of snow on the ground and the sun was just starting to come up. It had been roughly two and a half months since we had arrived here on Patch. I had done quite a bit of personal training. I was definitely in better shape since I got here. I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to shower. I turned the radio on so I had something to listen to. When I finished I brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror. I was in desperate need of a haircut. _"Amber, you awake?"_ A few seconds passed and then I heard a low slow buzzing. I knew she was just waking up. _"What do you want Crimson?"_ I could hear the lack of energy and smiled. _"When you get around to it I'd love a haircut."_ A few moments passed where I didn't hear anything. _"I'll be right over."_

A few minutes later I heard my door open and Amber came drudging in. She was still in her pajama pants and a very large loose fitting t-shirt. She had a small bag with her. She grabbed a chair from the corner and pulled it into a large empty portion of the room. "Sit." I did as I was told and she set the bag on the bed, opening it up and pulling a comb, a pair of scissors, and a few other utensils out of the bag. She felt my hair and it was still fairly wet. She ran the comb through my hair, undoing the knots, before getting ready to cut. "Ok how do you want it?" I thought for a moment. "Short on the sides but leave me something to play with up top." I heard her sigh but knew she was smiling.

"Aaaaaand, done." I got up and looked in the mirror. Amber did really well. "Thanks Amber." I hugged her tightly causing her to blush. "No problem Crimson." My scroll beeped so I picked it up and looked at it. It was a message from Ruby. _**We're leaving today. Meet at my house.**_ At the end of the message was a map to her house. I read it over a few times. "It's time isn't it?" I nodded. "The others aren't awake yet so you should leave while you can. I'll say I never saw you." I nodded. "Thanks Amber."

I packed a backpack with supplies and looked over the room making sure I had everything. Reclaimer was strapped to my hip and everything else important I stuffed into my backpack. I sighed and closed the door. When I got to the front desk I left my key and a stack of money sitting on the counter. The cold morning air was refreshing as it filled my lungs and left my breath a steamy cloud in the air. I trudged through the snow following the map on my scroll. Her house was more of a nice little cabin and it was up on the cliffs.

I followed the winding path up the cliff to the little cabin. As I approached I saw Jaune, Ren, and Nora waiting outside. "Gentlemen, Nora." I greeted, nodding to them. I looked at the front of the cabin. Nothing other than a door and a few windows. While glancing over the windows I noticed a figure in one of them. I did a double take and looked a little closer. I noticed the figure was Yang. She was staring absentmindedly out the window. Her head turned and her eyes locked with mine for a moment and I quickly glanced away. I heard the closing of a door and looked over to see Ruby standing outside, her back to us.

"Hey." She turned around and faced us. "Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go." He nodded. "I know. It's the only way we have." Haven is a long way to go, am I ready to make that kind of commitment? "Are you sure you want to come along?"

Ren, Nora, and I stepped forwards. "The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Leave it to Ren to leave the mood all warm and fuzzy. "But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." I felt a twinge where my eye use to be and reached for it before stopping. "We've all made the decision to go," I added. "We can't just back down now." Ruby smiled. "Then let's get started."

We all nodded and started down the path away from the house. This was going to be a long journey, but I was ready to do whatever it took. I was going to make everything right. I exhaled deeply, I was never more ready for anything in my life.


End file.
